Woody Johnson, New York Jets Owner, Will Be Ambassador to Britain

WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald J. Trump on Thursday chose Woody Johnson, the owner of the New York Jets football franchise and one of Mr. Trump’s oldest friends, as his ambassador to Britain. It is just the fourth ambassadorial pick Mr. Trump has announced.

Mr. Johnson’s appointment to the Court of St. James’s, as it is formally known, is a plum assignment. It is usually given to wealthy donors who use the ambassador’s palatial home to become part of London’s high-end social scene.

But the job could be unusually challenging during Mr. Trump’s administration, as Prime Minister Theresa May pushes Britain to leave the European Union and tries to reach a quick trade agreement with the United States.

Mr. Trump supports Britain’s exit from the European Union but has made clear that trade deals, which often take years to negotiate, must favor the United States.

Mr. Johnson, heir to a pharmaceutical and shampoo fortune, has long balanced his twin passions of politics and football. He was a prominent member of Mitt Romney’s fund-raising team in 2012, when he said he would rather Mr. Romney win the presidency than the Jets have a winning season. Neither happened.

He initially supported Jeb Bush in last year’s Republican primaries, but later became an active and enthusiastic supporter and fund-raiser for Mr. Trump.

Mr. Johnson’s record as an owner of the Jets has been mixed. The team has not made the playoffs since 2010.

The Court of St. James’s, where command of the English language is highly prized, could be a difficult fit for Mr. Johnson, infamous even among the football set for his malapropisms. But his closeness to Mr. Trump is seen as invaluable at 10 Downing Street, the official residence of Ms. May, who is so eager to ingratiate herself with the new administration that she recently scolded the departing secretary of state, John Kerry, for his speech criticizing Israel, a highly unusual move that shocked the Obama administration.

Mr. Kerry bade farewell to the State Department on Thursday with his dog, Ben, by his side, warning hundreds of emotional staff members against believing a demagogue who claims “we’re down or we can’t make it through.”